Leanan Sidhe

[Shealynne]

... Her perfume is a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew.

So, this is one of the few bpal scents I can honestly say I hate. It reminds me of White Shoulders, which reminds me of my mother, which prompts me to give it to her. Well, at least I got a gift idea out of it.

[Venneh]

Herby watery scent in the imp. On me, much the same. In fact, turning into cologne! Whee.

[Suu4LC]

This smells clean, fresh, and slightly herbal and cologney. Like men's soap or shampoo.

 

Yeah, on my skin this smells like fresh, ozoney-herbal cologney men's shampoo. There's a pleasant touch of sweetness in here as well. This is very nice and unisex-would smell lovely on a girl or a guy.

 

This dries down to a lovely sweet herbal powdery scent. Definitely goes powdery on drydown, but it doesn't lose it's base scent entirely which sometimes happens in powdery blends. However, it loses a bit of that cologne-yness that the wet scent had.

 

You know, I probably would not go out and buy a bottle of this, but if a bottle fell in my lap, I would definitely keep it. I don't think I have anything like this. It is a lovely fresh spring and summer scent!

[cupcakegernade]

This is very soft herbs and flowers. It reminds me of June Gloom when wet, but it is no were near as good. Once this dries, it become kind of powdery. I am happy with my JG, that I won't be needing to hang on to this one.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

It's like a nice floral soap, pleasant and soft, with a touch of green herbals. It's almost dewy - not drenched florals like The Lady of Shalott or Desdemona, but just barely misted with dew. This is what I imagine Ireland to smell like. I love it.

[rhetoricians]

It's herby and watery without being too heavy. A nice, light Summery perfume. I don't think I'd buy a bottle, but I'll definitely use up the imp.

[elinox]

First Sniff: Freshness

 

Wet: Spring flowers which are not very strong, and there are some greens behind them. It quickly softens though.

 

Dry: As it dries it stays soft and lovely. It is however, very light and has no throw on me whatsoever. I think it’s going to fade completely into nothingness before it even lasts an hour!

 

My Reaction: I liked the soft, light smell of this one, definitely a springtime scent. However it has had the least amount of staying power on me of anything I’ve gotten from the lab so far! I liked the name/concept behind this one but it’s just too soft on me to keep.

 

Rating 1-5: 2

[Lanolin]

Initially, it's a bright, green, honeydew-dill kind of scent. Then it's gone. I adore this scent, but wish it would stick around for more than a few minutes on me.

[ajansuz]

In the imp: Green and herbal with a hint of white floral.

 

Wet: Ouch. Amping white floral like crazy. It has a definite gardenia or magnolia vibe going and smells straight up perfume. At the crook of my arms, the grassy, almost sour wood sorrel scent is stronger, and there's an aquatic quality to it. But my wrists are nearly headache inducing.

 

Dry down: There's not much morph to this at all. It stays dangerously sweet white floral, and there's not enough of the green herbal underneath to cut that for me. It's super strong on me with an obnoxious throw. This scent might be really pretty on the right skin chemistry. On mine it's too much like a cheap floral perfume that young teens might wear, and eventually it also goes soapy.

[claudia6913]

This is a wonderfully soft floral, with a watery undertone. The herbs give it a nice deep base for all this to flow over. I enjoy this blend so much as I'm not typically a floral type person - but this one was just too lovely not to get a bottle.

[Gargoyle]

In the imp - gack, floral perfume! Something you'd get while walking through a department store.

 

Wet - whew, it's mellowing out a little. I think I smell jasmine, gardenia, and lillies.

 

Dry - a little soapy but not in a bad way.

 

Bottom line - I got this as a frimp and I don't see myself replacing it once it runs out. It's a nice perfume but it doesn't seem to be as unique as the other BPAL scents I've tried.

[Wwindy]

Soap soap soap. In fact, this smells remarkably like Ivory on me. In the imp I can just barely pick up on the green edge, but once applied this blend goes straight to clean white soapy death on my skin. If I let it dry down thoroughly, it might be more of a toss-up between Ivory and Irish Springs, but... still not working for me.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: Clean, fresh, green. Aquatic, floral, and herbal, just like it says. Kind of men's cologne-y. The oil is a clear light yellow.

 

On me, wet: The flowers are most prominent, with a background of greenery and water. It's much less men's cologne on me.

 

On me, just dried: The strength and throw lightens up very quickly as it dries. It's like a flowery classic perfume. I like it a lot, although it doesn't evoke any scent memories of Ireland for either me or my son. This is a very light fragrance, with none of the dark incense-y notes that many BPAL blends have. And no vanilla. I like that. I agree with the word "ethereal" that some earlier reviewers have said about this, which would make it a great choice for hot weather. It's lovely.

 

After 1 1/2 hours: The scent is very consistent, but is mostly faded now to a soft, powdery hint of its former self.

 

Slather it on, wear in scent locket, apply to hair, and/or reapply often.

 

Later ETA: I forgot to mention that this scent has been tantalizing me with memories ever since that first whiff in the imp. I recognized it immediately. I KNOW this scent. It is really, really, REALLY familiar. It smells just like something I used to wear all the time, a long time ago. Maybe White Shoulders? It's been so long since I wore White Shoulders that I can't say for certain.

 

My rating: 4 stars

Edited August 22, 2011 by Ghost of a Rose

[KindKit]

This was a frimp, and I think it's just the wrong scent for me. I don't care for florals, and this is strongly (STRONGLY) floral. After about ten minutes it turned into a kind of cheap-perfumed-soap scent on me, and I had to wash it off. It might work for someone who likes florals, or whose skin reacts well to them.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Delicate and softly floral, though a touch shampoo. I like the soft aquatics, but the flowers do not particularly impress. Wet: less shampoo on the skin, the florals become a touch more interesting and distinctive, the mist and dew fade into the background. Not bad, but not me. Dry; fades fast, sharper, but in an interesting way. Still slightly misty flowers.

 

In bottle: Delicate and softly floral, though a touch shampoo. I like the soft aquatics, but the flowers do not particularly impress. Wet: less shampoo on the skin, the florals become a touch more interesting and distinctive, the mist and dew fade into the background. Not bad, but not me. Dry; fades fast, sharper, but in an interesting way. Still slightly misty flowers.

[Maleficium]

imp: watery perfumey floral

 

wet on skin: straight up laundry detergent AND shampoo, both at once and very strong. :/

 

dry: smells much too like a cologne/perfume to me. I'm not getting mist or dew at all.

 

I'm a little sad, the description sounded lovely!

[angelicruin]

Herbal flowers and slightly aquatic. Not really to my tastes.

[ah Pook]

This definately does smell magickal...... in a costumy, Jim Henderson kind of way.

It is floral/aquaticish with a hint of green, and it is pretty soapy, but not awfully so.

Edited November 22, 2011 by ah Pook

[mymymai]

Trying out an aged version (cobalt bottle) for this review.

 

ITB: Rather sharp smelling, to the point of being off-putting. I smell something that is a little dew-ish, some sharp, bitter herbs, and a little light floral on top. It reminds me of a rather manly scent at the moment.

Wet: Wah, still strong. Very masculine herby scent, with what could be lily or something along those lines. I'm smelling a bit of the dew. I do hope this mellows down. Slightly soapy. Oh no!

Dry: (+5 hours) It's very light at this point and much different. I'm smelling powder, but in a good way. There is a very faint hint of flowers like rose and a bit of carnation - not so much lily now. Much more of a wearable scent after it's been on for a while.

[lolcat]

Leanan Sidhe came as a bonus imp along with a bottle of Vasilissa I had ordered (not realising that one could sample an imp without blindly having to purchase an entire bottle). I'm assuming that the folks at the Lab put some thought into which imps they select to accompany certain purchases. Vasilissa is reputed to be sweet and feminine (haven't tried it yet), and Leanan Sidhe seemed to reside in this same category.

 

In the vial, this comes across as fabric softener. Not ever having experienced a Black Phoenix scent, I wondered how this company could generate a cult following with fragrances that mimic cheap household products. But I was at home, so I shrugged and dabbed some on my wrists.

 

Leanan Sidhe metamorphosed fairly rapidly into a sweet, sugary fragrance. Sweet, sweet, sweet. I suppose those were the flowers coming out, but since I couldn't identify any one flower, I can't say that the sweetness struck me as inherently "floral." Or as "soapy," for that matter. Just sugary.

 

Later I started thinking that this scent reminded me of Eau de Noho, a Bond #9 perfume that I like a lot, except I'd say that Noho has a little more personality.

 

After about an hour, other notes came out-- a touch of bitterness which I attributed to the herbal elements and something that created the mental image of "moss on wet stones," which is nice.

 

My favorite phase of this perfume was the last, which is when it revealed its irish spirit: bittersweet and a little wistful. I have an inexperienced nose and couldn't detect the strong "watery" notes that some reviewers reported-- possibly because I have no context for that note-- but at the very end, I did catch traces of the sea, which called to mind James Joyce's description in Ulysses: "Thalassa, our grey sweet mother."

 

It would be interesting to wear this out in public and see what kind of response I get. It didn't bowl me over enough to invest in a bottle-- I generally gravitate towards perfumes that are quirkier and more playful. But it's nice and might grow on me.

[becca_s]

This was a frimp from the lab with my last order

 

Leanan Sidhe is green, misty, floral on my skin. It's smells clean, with the potential to turn soapy. I think that there is something slightly aquatic in Leanan Sidhe. It's ethereal and misty, but not really my thing. I will keep the imp and re-test to see if I change my mind.

[stellamaris]

This is without equal, my favorite floral so far in my BPAL experience. It is more classically blended than most other BPAL florals, meaning it smells more like "perfume". But what a perfume. This is so lush, not strident or headachey, and it does not turn to either soap or powder on me.
It's so elegant, it's like what Grace Kelly would have worn, in a silk afternoon dress with pearls. You could wear this to be presented at court. Or to meet your in laws for the first time.
It's quite evocative to me of a lady like and graceful time, without being fusty or too old timey. It's sophisticated and retro, but in the best way. The analogy that came to me was Snake Oil is like Lindsay Lohan (don't get me wrong, love me some Snake Oil. I'm not above being trashy and running the streets like a wild dog) and this is like Grace Kelly.
I am definitely getting a bottle of this ASAP, it's amazing. And my heart would break if it went away before I had at least 12 I mean 1 bottle...

Edited April 7, 2015 by stellamaris

[rinster]

So pretty! It has some component in common with Harp of Cnoc but I can't put my finger on it. It's a lovely soft creamy floral that lasts forever on me.

[calivianya]

The flowers and mist/dew combination remind me vaguely of an aquatic Lily of the Valley perfume. Maybe that's what's in this; I dunno. I love stuff with herbs, but I think this is too much flower and not enough herbs for me.

[KittyHawk]

Hmmm, this is pleasant but unremarkable. It doesn't morph much; from application through drydown it's a watery floral with a very light herbal undercurrent. Nice enough for a hot summer day, but all in all a bit bland. It has amazing throw, though; it's been ten hours since I applied it and it's still going strong. Impressive for a such light blend, but Leanan Sidhe is not for me.